1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fish gaffs and more particularly to a self-actuating gaff.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In fishing for large fish such as marlin, tuna, sail fish and the like, it is necessary to use some form of apparatus to bring the fish aboard the vessel after it has been reeled in alongside. It is common to use various types of gaffs for this purpose. However, most of the gaffs in use may damage the fish and in many cases the fish can escape the gaff. A gaff hook is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,049,875 to Krueger which uses a claw-shaped head having a plurality of sharp barbs which can damage the fish and cause loss of blood and weight during the landing procedure. The Lange patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,196,117, shows a spring-loaded gaff or grapple having a pair of sharp barbs and is undesirable because of the possibility of damage. A floating gaff is described by Maruniak in U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,605. This device also depends upon a pair of sharp points and serrations in the jaw to assist in holding the fish. An improved apparatus is taught by Jones in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,576 but requires manual operation of the clamping action and the user must maintain tension to hold the fish in the jaws of the device.
These prior art gaffs are generally intended to grasp a fish around the gill area and can therefore damage the fish. There has been an increasing concern for conservation and many sports contests and the like require a game fish to be landed, weighed and released without injury to the fish. Conventional barbed gaffs thus cannot be used.
Thus, there is a need for a simple gaff which will operate automatically when applied to the fish and which will securely hold the fish without damage thereto.